Bahrain: Authorities arrest young men on the account of security incidents
Random arrests with no legal evidence and claims of physical attacks
Manama, October 27, 2007
Bahrain: Authorities arrest young men on the account of security incidents
Random arrests with no legal evidence and claims of physical attacks
Manama, October 27, 2007
Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights (BYSHR) is highly concerned by arresting a group of young people in a security incident in Karzakan province. These security incidents took place in Karzakan area after an invitation from youth in another province for participation at a demonstration against Bahraini government. Authorities besieged the area of the expected demonstration on Friday, October 19, 2007.
The security siege led to clashes between youth and Riot Fighting Forces in different areas. The Ministry of Interior issued a press release and distributed on news papers immediately after those incidents. It mentioned that Security Forces arrested a group of young people while attempting to bomb a vehicle owned by State Security Forces.
A delegation of BYSHR met with the families of the five detainees in Karzakan province to collect more details on the security incidents that led to their detention.
“My son went out of home on his way to a close restaurant to have dinner. At the same moment, there were clashes between security forces and a group of young people,” father of detainee Hassan Ahmed Hassan – 17, employee – said. “My son ran to the nearest house and hid there. But other four persons ran to the same house. So, security forces besieged the house and asked the five young men to get out. They refused for fear that they might be beaten or arrested. So, the liable officer threw a sound bomb inside the house to force them on getting out. Once they got out, Riots Fighting Forces arrested them and attacked them with wooden sticks.”
The father of detainee Hassan Ahmed also mentioned that during the family visit to Detention Center on Friday October 26, 2007, he saw signs of physical attacks on his son’s body.
“I do not know how my brother was arrested but I knew the details from the father of detainee Hassan Ahmed who was arrested at the same incident,” The brother of detainee Hassan Mansour Ali – 18, employee – told BYSHR. He also added that he is not sure that his brother is suffering physical attacks by wooden sticks. He was not allowed to visit his brother at Detention Center. However, the father of detainee Hassan Ahmed asserted that the five young men were physically attacked.
“My son sells water at Karzakan area. During clashes, he preferred to close the shop and run to his grandfather’s house near his shop to avoid random arrests,” father of detainee Sayed Shoubeir Sayed Mekki – 18, employee. “Before he arrives there, the clashes turned more violence so he ran to the nearest house. There, he met with the other four young men. All were terrified”
The father of detainee Sayed Shoubeir Mekki mentioned that during family visit to Detention Center on Friday October 26, 2007, he discovered signs of attack on his son’s body.
“My brother was accompanied by his cousin, detainee Hassan Mekki Abbas, on their way to the beach. During this, Riot Fighting Forces clashed with a group of youth,” brother of detainee Ja’afer Abdul Nabi Abbas – 18, employee – told BYSHR. “The young people ran to the nearest house and other three young men helped them to get into there.”
The brother of detainee Ja’afer Abdul Nabi Abbas and cousin of Hassan Mekki Abbas that during family visit to Detention Center on Friday October 26, 2007 he saw signs of physical attacks on his brother’s and his cousin’s bodies.
“My cousin was accompanied by my brother, detainee Ja’afer Abdul Nabi Abbas,” the cousin of detainee Hassan Mekki Abbas – 17, student – told BYSHR. “The school sent him a notification that he will be expelled because of continuous absence.”
Families told BYSHR that their sons have never been involved in criminal or civil violations. They also mentioned that their sons refused to sign the confessions fabricated by the public prosecutor. It is noteworthy that the public prosecutor heard the Riots Fighting Forces testimony and did not investigate detainees’ claims of being tortured.
Detainees’ families asserted that there is no evidence on the involvement of their sons in the vehicle accident. The public prosecutor also failed to find a prove witness other than Riots Fighting Forces, according to detainees’ families. They also mentioned that Riots Fighting Forces brought the detainees back to incident location in order to re-act the crime of burning security vehicle.
The collected information asserts that the accusations leveled against detainees are: gathering without state permission, destroying public properties, and attacking security forces during duty time.
Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights calls upon the public prosecutor to transform detainees to the forensic doctor to register the physical attacks suffered by detainees during detention. BYSHR also calls upon the public prosecutor and Ministry of Interior to investigate the claims of attacks and human rights violations against detainees. BYSHR confirms that the public prosecutor should summon the witnesses who watched the attacks on security vehicle and not depending only on the testimonies of Riots Fighting Forces who risked people lives to achieve their security operations.